Garment-supporter



(No Model.)

0. 0. SHELBY. GARMENT SUPPORTER. No. 429 778. Patented June 10, 1890.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHRISTOPHER C. SHELBY, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY.

GARMENT-8U PPORTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 429,778, dated June 10, 1890. Application filed April 5, 1890. Serial No. 846,645. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHRISTOPHER C. SHELBY, of Paterson, in the county of Passaic and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Garment- Supporters; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

My present invention relates to improvements in garment or hose supporterssuch as are commonly used by gentlemen-and which are adapted to encircle the calf of the leg and be attached to the hose by a pendent end, the object being to provide a more comfortable article at small cost and which can be easily adjusted, is durable, and readily adapts itself to all the movements of the wearer.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a supporter constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a detail elevation of the adjustable clamp or slide and hook. Fig. 3 is an edge view of the clamp or slide and webbing. Fig. 4 is a bottom plan of the same. Fig. 5 is aperspective View of the clamp or slide alone.

Like letters of reference in the several figures indicate the same parts.

The webbing or elastic A, which encircles the limb and forms the pendent end B, is preferably a single piece, a clasp C for the hose being secured to the pendent end and an adjusting slide or buckle D to the opposite end, which latter is doubled back upon itself, as shown clearly in. Fig. 1, and the loop so formed retains the hook E.

Supporters or garters, as thus far described, have heretofore been made, the hook being simply caught around the webbing or inserted in a small opening in a clamp or slide thereon; but such constructions have been found objectionable, for the reason that the webbing would become quickly worn or the adjustment so easily changed as to require the greatest care in applying the supporter, or the slide or clamp would become practically non-adjustable or confine the hook so closely as to prevent the supporter from giving freely and easily to the movements of the wearer. These objections I have endeavored to overcome by means of the improved sliding clamp, (shown in perspective in Fig. 5,) which is struck up from a single piece of metal and consists of the ring or base H and the elevated tongue or plate I, connected with the ring by a narrow strip 41 at one side. The slide or clamp thus formed is applied to the webbing by passing the latter beneath the ring and over the top of the tongue or plate, as shown, the result being that no part of the metal slide can come in contact with the wearer or the garments on either side of the supporter, and when the webbing is pushed back to its proper position a convenient and accessible opening is left for the hook E, which is caught in the ring from the under side. For the sake of convenience the plate or tongue I is rounded over the top; or, as contemplated, when struck up from cheap metal is made concavo-convex.

The hook, it will be seen from the dotted lines, Fig. 2, is capable of a wide range of movement to accommodate itself to the different movements of the wearer or diiferent shapes of different wearers, besides which there is no difficulty in engaging the hook and ring, as the hook will find its proper place when placed in the large opening beneath the slide and drawn forward. To adjust the slide to vary the size of the encir-' cling loop, the webbing may be drawn through first on one side and then on the other; but any direct pull on the pendent end, as the weight of the garment being supported, instead of causing the slide to move will draw the tongue down and clamp the web more firmly between the edges of the tongue and ring, thus not only clamping the webbing more tightly when unusual strain is brought to bear, but by reducing the opening through. which the hook passes, holds the latter in place, the resiliency of the tongue, of course, causing it to resume its normal position-after the strain has ceased.

The whole device is exceedingly simple and effective, capable of being manipulated by any one, not easily destroyed, and lies flat against the Wearers limb, there being no danger of the hook becoming released by the friction of the garments or other accidental cause.

Having thus described my invention, \vhatI claim as new is- 1. In a garment-supporter, the combination, with the Web or elastic having, the hook thereon and the pendent end having the clasp for the garment, of the sliding clamp having the ring with which the hook engages, and 

